Goaltending Much Improved

The Lightning have given up the same number of goals, four, through 3 games as they did last year. While they have given up the same number of goals, Holmqvist's save percentage is .945 and Denis' was .925. The number of goal may be the same, but the goal tending has been much better so far.

Holmqvist has made better and more saves than he or Denis did at anytime last season. He has stopped shots that were goals last year and cost the lightning games. Even the lightning opponents are noticing the difference. The Panthers remarked that shots they made last night would have gone in last season, and that Holmqvist is playing the best he has since being in the league. With the way that Holmqvist is playing, don't expect Denis to get much time between the pipes.

Denis was signed to a big deal last year and was supposed to be the savior at goalie for the offensive power house lightning, but struggled all year long. Holmqvist looked much better than Denis during the whole, year and eventually overtook him and started every playoff game for the lightning. This is not new territory for Holmqvist, who was the Swedish national goalie and has won many international games for the Swedish team.

The team has noticed a difference in the way they play with Holmqvist back in the net. Many have commented that they can play a different game knowing that they don't have to do as much on defense because Holmqvist will be there to make the stop. The more games he gets under his belt the better he seems to play. The Lightning seem to have found their savior at goalie, its just not the one they paid all the money to last season.

Lightning Take Home Opener 3-1

The Lightning started off their season with a win at home. It was the 5th straight home opener that the Lightning have won in a row. The stars came out in the opener and dominated the Devils.

The scoring was led by Vinny Lecavalier, Vinny Prospal, and Martin St. Louis. Lecavalier scored two goals, while St. Louis assisted on each of the Lightning's three goals in the game. Lecavalier scored 52 goals last season and it looks like he is ready to try and at least duplicate that season this year. It was great to see the top line play as well as they did. It is important for the Lightning to get as much as they can out of that line.

The problem for the Lightning last year was not scoring, but goal tending. Johan Holmquist, who I think should have been the starter from the get go last season, had a great game against the Devils. He blocked 26 of 27 shots and the only goal he gave up was on a power play. He also stopped 7 of 8 shots that were made on the power play. Holmquist made a great save at the end of the first period to keep the game 1-0 going into the second period. Had that goal gone in it could have changed the momentum of the game. He looks ready to step up and be the goaltender that this team needs to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sold

Members of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization got a text message yesterday morning that they needed to be at a surprise meeting at 9am. They found out as did the fans that the meeting was to tell them that the Lightning had been sold. The sale caught everyone, even comishioner Gary Bettman, off guard because no one knew it was close, but everyone knew that Bill Davidson was looking to move the team. Davidson has been complaining that he has been losing money on the team and last year hired some business analysts to find the value of the team and get it going on a sale.
Davidson was a great owner for the Lightning and brought a Stanley Cup to Tampa, but he wanted out and he found owners that wanted in. The group that bought the team, Absolute Hockey Enterprises, is headed by Doug MacClean, Jeff Sherrin, and Oren Kowles. Hockey fans know MacClean who is a former coach, GM, and owner in the NHL. Sherrin is into real estate and Koules is a Hollywood producer. The best news that the new group gave was that there is a 0% chance that this team will be moved from Tampa Bay. All three owners either live in Tampa or will be moving to Tampa and intend on being heavily involved in the organization. The owners also said that Jay Feester and John Torterella will be retained as GM and coach, which is a great sign for Lightning fans.

Kowles is the producer behind the Saw series and has been a hockey fan his whole life. Kowles has said that he has some great ideas for better marketing and helping to get the Lightning out there more. The owners also talked about developing the land that surrounds the St. Pete Times forum, which should have been done a while ago. These owners seem excited and ready to get down to business. Its pretty easy to see why they wanted to buy this team as it the third best team in the league for attendance and the Tampa Bay area has embraced this team and created rabid fans. These owners are passionate about hockey just like the Lightning fans and they will connect better with fans and be more involved in day to day business.

Bill Davidson was a great owner for the Lightning and brought this town a Stanley Cup and for that fans will forever be grateful. That being said, Davidson was not a hands on guy and just never related to the fans. This group seems like they will relate better and fans should be excited by these new owners.

Ryan Craig Awarded 850,000 in Arbitration

An arbitrator awarded Lightning Center Ryan Craig a one year 850,000 deal on Monday. Craig had been seeking 1.2 million in a deal and the Lightning were looking to pay him 650,000, so it looks to be a victory for both sides. Lightning GM Jay Feester was happy with the result and said that this contract was very reasonable for the this player.

Craig scored 15 goals in 2005-06, which was second most by a rookie in Lightning franchise history. Last season Craig played in 72 games and scored 14 goals and had 13 assists. Craig was on fire in the beginning of the year and helped the Lightning get through the first couple months.

Craig is not going to be one of the All-Stars on the Lightning with Vinny, Marty, and Brad still on the team, but Craig is a huge contributor. Craig does all the dirty work when its needed and he plays his heart out when he is on the ice. Craig will not have the goals like the other guys, but he will give you 100% and do whatever Torts asks him to and that's what the Lightning need. This was a good thing for both sides and we are glad the deal got done.

Lightning Open the Playoffs Tonight Against Devils

The lighting open the NHL playoffs tonight going up against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are led by all-star goalie Marty Brodeaur, who set a record for most wins by a goalie this season. The Lightning on the other hand are hoping that Johan Holmqvist will come up big now that he has been annointed the guy for the Lightning throughout the Playoffs. Holmqvist is by far a better goalie that Marc Denis and i believe that this is a great move by coach Jon Tortarella. Holmqvist will not be looking over his shoulder during any of the games and can go out and play his game, which has been pretty good this season. The Lightning big 3: St. Louis, LeCavilier, and Richards are going to need to come through with goals oon one of the tougher goalies in the league, but it can't be only these guys. The lightning are going to need some help from the other lesser known players like Craig, Roy, and Prospal. The Lighting beat the Devils 3 of the 4 times they met in the regular season and should be able to win this series.

I am prediciting the Lighting in 6